PIERRE, South Dakota — Investigators say South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was distracted before he drove onto a highway shoulder where he struck and killed a pedestrian.
Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price released details about the investigation Monday. He says that 55-year-old Joseph Boever was walking on the shoulder of Highway 14 near Highmore and displaying some type of light on the night of Sept. 12, when he was struck by Ravnsborg’s 2011 Ford Taurus.
Price did not describe what led Ravnsborg to become distracted, and he did not respond to questions about what the distraction was.
The Argus Leader reports that Price and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told reporters that the Highway Patrol's investigation, aided by investigators from North Dakota and Wyoming, is largely complete. But the nature of Ravnsborg's distraction at the time of the crash, the exact time of 911 call, and the victim's autopsy and toxicology report are still pending, they said.
"Although there are a few remaining things that still need to be done, much of the investigation is complete,” Noem said.
Ravnsborg told a 911 dispatcher that he hit “something” in the middle of the road. It's unclear how fast Ravnsborg was driving.
